China’s “Administrative Measures” at Scarborough Reef

The United States rejects China’s ongoing attempts to enforce its destabilizing “national nature reserve” at Scarborough Reef and deny Filipino fishermen access to their traditional fishing ground as reflected in the 2016 Arbitral Award. This is yet another unilateral attempt by China to use dubious environmental and legal pretexts, backed by coercion, to advance its sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea at the expense of its neighbors.

The United States stands with our Ally, the Philippines, in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.